Hufflepuff Common Room
by WrittenforKids
Summary: A series of one-shots centered around the Hogwarts house known for their kindness, loyalty, honesty, hard work, and delicious food! Non-slash. Written for my Hufflepuff writing group's Hufflepuff Fanfiction Week!
1. Chapter 1

Author Note:

I am so pathetically overexcited for Hufflepuff fanfiction week!

This is a description of our common room as told by a fellow Hufflepuffian. I like to imagine the speaker as an adorable first year with a shy smile, golden curls and wide, blue eyes.

* * *

The Hufflepuff common room. It was the only place that felt like home. Slythern's room was dark and gloomy and honestly terrifying; Ravenclaw was nice I guess, but you had to answer all these riddles and everything was boobytrapped; Griffindor was bright and shining, loud and full of adventure and excitement; but Hufflepuff was warm and inviting. There were plants growing everywhere and a giant fireplace. We had more seats than we had house members. People from the other houses just came in and hung out whenever. I honestly don't think we even had locks. Oh yes, and there were floating teapots that served hot cocoa as well as tea and even coffee. And of course there were trays of cookies too.

Sure, we were bullied a lot, and that was literally the worst ever, but while Ravenclaw was learning the most powerful spells, Gryffindor gained courage and the strength to stand up for those in need, and Slytherin generally got meaner, we practiced kindness. Some first year Hufflepuffians were the meanest kids of all, but that's why the hat put them in our house - so they could learn to be better. They say no dark wizard has ever come from Hufflepuff. I'm immensely proud of that. What a legacy to live up to!

Besides, if Slytherin ever got too mean, we could always go to the Gryffindorians. They always took good care of us. The last time that happened, the oldest Griffindorians led an all-out assault on the Slytherin common room. No one in Slytherin even went near us for months after that (well except the nice ones. Not all Slytherins are bad obviously.)

I remember the time the Slytherins decided to show us that our open door policy was a mistake. The time they conjured up slime and garbage and slugs to ruin our cheery home. They said it was a good lesson for the future. "Never trust anyone," they said, "you need to look out for yourself."

We worked to clean it for days, but the enchantments were difficult to break. We locked our doors - we didn't want anyone getting angry at the Slytherins. After all, it wasn't their fault they were raised that way. It was strange how gloomy the castle became. It was like a light had gone out.

I think it was a Gryffindorian who finally coaxed the truth out of a first year. They rounded up a bunch of Ravenclaws and together we got everything back to the way it was. Joy returned like warm sunshine after a long, wet winter.

Also, the Slytherins suddenly took to wearing pink - Gryffindor's payback we could only assume.

* * *

Author Note:

Adding another story tomorrow!


	2. Chapter 2

Author Note:

Day 2 of the Hufflepuff writing group Hufflepuff Fanfiction week!

I don't own anything.

* * *

A warm fire crackled in the hearth. The prefect boy had managed to get five cats asleep on his lap at once. It was really impressive. A group of second years sat crosslegged on the floor and talked about Professor Sprout's recent lesson. Enchanted knitting needles clicked as they worked with yellow and black yarn. (It was tradition for first years to get extra socks and scarves for their birthday.) There was a table where people were playing muggle board games. In a corner, a Ravenclaw was drawing a crowd of first years with her impressive charms work. In short - it was a very pleasant evening.

Every once in a while, the quiet would be broken by excited giggles then hushed shushing. Everyone had to pretend it was a perfectly normal day. Nothing suspicious was going on here!

The giggling grew as our scout burst in shouting that Simon Dragot was coming. The knitting was quickly hidden behind a chair.

As the first year entered, everyone greeted him. He seemed confused by all the attention, but after some prodding from his friend to get what they came for, he continued upstairs.

Once his footsteps receded, we rushed into action. The common room was a flurry of streamers and balloons, cakes and sweet treats. Within a few minutes, the whole common room was decorated. We went into hiding as the Ravenclaw added the finishing touches and darkened the room.

His footsteps came back down the stairs and paused as he looked about.

"Um, guys?" He asked worriedly.

We all jumped out of our hiding places. "Happy birthday, Simon!' We shouted.

The widest smile spread across his face. He kept thanking us over and over. The prefects told us how they had been allowed into the kitchen where the elves helped them make the cake. It was literally the best I had ever eaten. Simon opened his presents which included the socks and scarves in the Hufflepuff colors as well as some chocolate frogs for his collection.

The Ravenclaw left early to work on her studies, but not before getting a thousand thanks for her help.

* * *

Author Note:

Prompt: "Hufflepuff birthday parties?"


	3. Chapter 3

Author Note:

Hufflepuff fanfiction day 3!

I'm trying to write a one-shot a day while starting a new job, so forgive me if this one isn't as polished as the others.

I don't own anything.

* * *

"Nobody really likes yellow. I mean, have you ever asked anybody what their favorite color was, and they said yellow? I bet you haven't. Yeah, some people 'say' they like yellow, but really they like sunshine or something that yellow reminds them of. Nobody really likes the color itself.

Besides, everybody knows Hufflepuff's the "rubbish house'. People only get sorted in there because nowhere else will take them. Ha!

Did you know that every house has two colors. Gryffindor is red and gold, Slytherin is green and silver, and Ravenclaw is blue and bronze. Get it, gold, silver and bronze? First, second and third place. Do you know what Hufflepuff's colors are? Yellow and black. Your trophy would be black, as in nothing, because there's no prize for coming in fourth place," The Slytherin fourth year finished.

He had me trapped in a dead-end hallway. He stood in the middle with his hands on his hips. His friends blocked my escape on either side.

He stepped forward and pushed me.

"You're not ambitious!"

He pushed again.

"You're not smart."

He pushed a third time. I slipped and fell. He scoffed, "You're not even brave."

"Excuse me?!" A deep female voice demanded from behind them.

They whipped around to confront her. I recognised the seventh year Ravenclaw who everyone was saying was their house's best spellcaster in a decade.

"Ms. Lydia, help!" I shouted.

The Slytherins paled. There was some awkward laughter.

Their leader tried to jinx Lydia. She batted it away with a wordless spell.

Her face twisted into a malefic smirk. "Oh, you shouldn't 'ave done that!" She said.

She raised her wand and the ceiling turned to dark swirling clouds and flashing lightning. The floor shook. A strong wind swirled around us. The candles spluttered out.

There was a second of complete darkness, then a blue fire formed a circle around her casting her face in an eerie glow.

She opened her mouth and the most horrifying scream pierced the air. I covered my ears. Horrible ghost-like hands rose from the ground, their icy fingers reaching for us. There was a warm prickle on the back of my neck like someone breathing on me.

Slowly, I turned. Foot-long fangs oozed drool. Hungry red eyes flashed with anger. It roared with cruel delight like a wild beast that had finally cornered its prey.

Terror clutched my heart. I screamed. I shut my eyes tight and covered my ears. I could feel the pounding of the Slytherin's footsteps as they ran away. I followed their example..

"Wait," Lydia called.

I didn't. I kept running until I got to our common room. I shut the vinegar cask door and leaned against it panting.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Our prefect boy asked.

I was so embarrassed. I ran up the stairs to my bedroom and hid under the covers.

The other first years tried to get me to talk. I just pulled the covers tighter.

Once I had calmed down some, I realized how hungry I was. I had been making my way to dinner when those bullies showed up.

There was a knock on the door.

"Hey, Lydia told me what happened," the prefect boy said from behind the door, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," I answered.

There was a pause.

"I noticed you weren't at dinner, so I brought you some food."

I lept from my bed and ran to open the door along with the other first years.

He held a plate piled high with sweets, more than I could possibly eat.

"Lydia says she's sorry." He said.

We happily dug in.

I stuffed a cinnamon roll in my mouth. "Ohf, that's okaf." I said before remembering my manors. I swallowed and added, "Could you tell her I'm sorry for making her feel bad?"

He nodded, "Sure thing."

He left us to our feast.

* * *

Author Note:

Writing prompts: "A first year Hufflepuffian gets made fun of for being sorted into the 'rubbish house'."

"Late night snacks." (Not sure if this counts as late night, so I might have to use that one again!)


	4. Chapter 4

Author Note:

Day 4 of the Hufflepuff Writing group Hufflepuff fanfiction week!

This one was inspired by my Hufflepuffian sister whose sense of justice frequently leads to debates over the fair treatment of Slytherins.

I don't own anything.

* * *

Calvin, an outgoing third year Hufflepuffian, was reading his muggle animal studies book out loud.

"Badger behavior differs by family, but most live underground in burrows called setts, which can be quite extensive." he looked around our common room and smiled. "They make beds out of grass and leaves. Some are solitary, but most live in family units ranging in size from 2-15 members. These family clans are called Cetes"

A first year counted silently. "That means our sett has 4 cetes!"

"That it does!" Calvin replied. He continued reading, "Badgers are nocturnal, which means they stay awake all night and sleep during the day."

"Ha ha, Ravenclaw," A visiting Griffindorian snorted.

He got a thwump on the head from a visiting Ravenclaw.

A Slytherin laughed.

"Badgers are elusive, shy, and do not tolerate people. While all Badgers are protective of their young, the females are especially so."

The Hufflepuff prefect girl nicknamed "Mama badger" gave a mock glare towards all the Slytherins who were hanging out with us. She gave the "I'm watching you" sign.

The Gryffindorians and Ravenclaws laughed. The Slytherins pretended to laugh but I could tell they were upset. I guess it wasn't easy being in the house with the most bullies, especially when you weren't one.

The Slytherin animal is the snake, and just like snakes some of them are poisonous and some are not. Most aren't, but sometimes you have a friend who you think is nice, but really they're just trying to trick you. And sometimes you have a really great friend in Slytherin who hangs out with the wrong kind of people and becomes mean. The older Hufflepuffians always made a special effort to point out the Slytherins who used to be friends with them.

"Pretty much every Slytherin was nice once," they told us, "that's why you need to be the best friend you can while you still have a chance. Don't make our mistakes."

Personally, I found it hard to believe our prefects and seventh years were ever mean to anyone.

One of our house traits is promoting fair play. We want everyone to have the same chance to succeed, which is why I didn't understand the rule that said: "first year Hufflepuffians are not allowed to go anywhere alone with a Slytherin". How were we supposed to change their minds if we never hung out with them? I knew the rules were there for a reason and usually, I would never disobey a rule, but this one was just silly! First year Slytherins were harmless. Everyone knew that!

So, I broke a rule.

I scooted up to a Slytherin first year and whispered.

"Can I come with you when you visit the groundskeeper?"

He nodded excitedly and smiled.

I smiled back.

So, I hung out with his group of first year Slytherins. I was worried at first, but they turned out to be really nice. We played games while we waited for the groundskeeper.

"Woah, did you see that?" One of the girls asked. She ran to the edge of the forest. We followed.

"I thought I saw a unicorn!" She ran inside. The rest of them followed her in. I hesitated. Going into the Forbidden Forest was against the rules.

My friend called to me, "Hey, come on. We're not going in very deep. It's okay. We do this all the time. And don't worry about monsters. They only come out at night." He looked scared, but put on a smile anyway.

"But-" I started.

One of the girls scoffed, "Should'a brought a Gryffindor. They're not scared."

That decided it. I went in after them.

We kept going and going, deeper and deeper into the forest.

We came upon a mini cliff. I peered over the side. It was about as tall as a house. Thick vines trailed all the way to the bottom.

"Oh no! I dropped my broach!" The leader girl cried.

"I'll get it!" I offered, eager to prove my bravery. I got to the bottom and picked it up.

All of a sudden, my new friends started laughing. It was a mean kind of laugh. They were laughing at me.

"Should'a listened to your prefects." Their leader girl said in a sing-song voice. "Toodles!"

They ran away. My best friend mouthed "sorry" before running after them.

I climbed up as quickly as I could, but by the time I was at the top, they were gone.

I was alone, and I had no idea how to get home.

* * *

Author Note:

Writing prompt: "Are there any rules a Hufflepuff will break?"


	5. Chapter 5

Author note:

Sorry for the delay. I was kind of paralized with fears that this chapter would be terrible. Lol. It actually turned out to be pretty decent though, at least in my opinion. Hope ya'll enjoy!

Also, it'd be great if ya'll could tell me what side of the castle was east. I think I have the sun rising in the exact wrong spot. LOL

I don't own anything.

* * *

~ I was alone, and I had no idea how to get home.

I sat on the ground and cried. I was more scared than I'd ever been in my whole life.

"Hello? Are you okay?" A timid voice called. A student, who was about my age, stepped out from behind a tree. He wore red and gold robes. He fiddled nervously with his hands as he walked up.

"I um, I saw them taking you out here, and I knew they were up to no good. So, I followed you. It's a good thing I did too, those nasty Slytherins! Are you alright?" He reached out his hand to help me up.

I nodded my head.

"D-do you know how to get home?" I asked wiping my nose on my arm before accepting his help.

"Well, uh, no I don't." He admitted.

"Then you told someone where you were going?" I asked.

"Uh, no. I didn't do that either." He admitted sheepishly.

* * *

Night was starting to fall. Shadows were growing long. Things I couldn't see rustled long dead leaves. Something swished behind me. I moved closer to the Gryffindor.

"Did you hear that?" I asked.

He calmly turned and looked at the spot I was pointing to.

"Do you mean the wind?" He asked.

An owl hooted in the distance. I jumped. He did too, but he acted like it didn't bother him.

"Calm down. It's going to be fine." He assured me. His voice trembled slightly at the end.

"It's getting late. What do we do?!" I asked, making no effort to hide my rising terror.

His response was level headed and well thought through. "Well," he started, "my parents said that if I'm ever lost in the woods, I should stay where I'm at so people can find me."

I turned all the way around to get a good look at where we were. "There's nowhere to hide!" I shouted.

He firmly gripped me by the shoulders and shook me. "Get a grip, Hufflepuff! We're going to be fine. But, just in case, we should probably find a more defensible location." I took deep breaths while he formulated a plan. He snapped his fingers.

"I need you to hold onto my shoulder. Don't let go. I'm going to lead us towards the sun, because the sun always rises on the side of the castle away from the dark forest. Whenever you get scared, I want you to think of every spell you know. This is important. Can you do it for me?"

I bit my lip and nodded.

He nodded back.

We started walking.

* * *

The Hufflepuff prefects started worrying about thirty minutes before regular curfew. First year Hufflepuffians had an earlier curfew because they tended to get lost, a lot. The prefects asked everyone when they walked in if they'd seen me. No one had. The last student came in five minutes before regular curfew. They hadn't seen me either.

"Maybe he's in Ravenclaw." Mama Badger suggested. She left to go look.

The prefect boy left instructions with the older Hufflepuffians to let him know if I showed up. He then went to check the Gryffindor common room. Before he got there, he was stopped by a teacher who saw the concerned look on his face and asked what was wrong. He explained the whole situation as well as his plan to check with the Gryffindorians.

She answered him, "If he does not appear soon, I will alert the school faculty and the ghosts. There are plans in place for this. We will find him," She smiled comfortingly, "but for heaven's sake, don't tell Gryffindor!"

Just then a Gryffindorian walked up.

"Don't tell us what?" He asked in that goofy Gryffindor way. "Teacher, we're missing a first year student." He said in a casual manner as if this was an everyday occurance

"Gryffindor as well?" She asked.

His eyes widened. They moved from the teacher to the unsettled Hufflepuff prefect and his expression grew serious. Whenever those rulekeeping Hufflepuffians missed curfew, it meant something really bad had happened.

"His friends are saying they saw the first year Gryffindorian heading towards the groundskeeper's hut last."

"Oh dear," she said as she started towards the groundskeeper's hut at a brisk pace, "let us hope your house member hasn't convinced the young Hufflepuffian to do something foolish." It wouldn't have been the first time.

Not 10 minutes later. The halls were a flurry of red and gold. Students of all ages wandered the halls in search of one missing Hufflepuff first year.

It was chaos.

"Go back to your common rooms!" A teacher shouted.

"I'll create a distraction!" A Gryffindorian shouted.

"They can't punish all of us!" Another assured.

"Now you listen to me. I'm Head Boy!" The Gryffindorian screamed until his voice grew hoarse.

There were even sounds of explosions coming from the dungeons.

It took them a total of 10 minutes to work out what had happened. It helped that my new Gryffindorian friend had left his books behind at the groundskeeper's hut. It also helped that the Slytherin head of house was very good at squeezing the truth out of his students.

The headmaster was able to get the Gryffindorians back into their common room and lead a group of teachers, prefects, and various Gryffindorians, who thought they were being very sneaky, into the dark forest to search for us.

* * *

Author note:

Sorry for the delay. I was kind of paralyzed with fears that this chapter would be terrible. Lol

Huge thanks to my Mom for the idea of being "rescued" by a Neville-type Gryffindorian.

Another huge thanks to my sisters for the bit about what everyone would be shouting during the chaos. You two are great!


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